Making It Work
by foobar137
Summary: At the end of It's Complicated, Phineas and Isabella got together again in Boston. Now, they need to balance renewing their relationship with the demands of college life and the lack of privacy involved in shared dorm rooms. Making it work may be harder than they'd thought. Rated M for language and nonexplicit sexual conduct. Trope bingo: virginfic, first time/last time.


**Many thanks to Sabrina06 for immoral support, advice, and the occasional smack upside the head.**

**Rated M for language and nonexplicit sexual conduct between consenting adults.**

**This is a sequel to It's Complicated, so some things about the relationships in that story (Isabella/Tim and Phineas/Alyssa) may not make a huge amount of sense without that. (Summary: Phineas broke up with Isabella when she moved to Albuquerque; Phineas started going out with Alyssa, who broke up with him when she left for college, and Isabella went out with Tim, who broke up with her when she wouldn't sleep with him on prom night.)**

**Trope bingo: virginfic, first time/last time**

**Timeline: freshman year of college, age 18.**

* * *

"Isabella, this is my roommate, Ian. Ian, this is my girlfriend Isabella," Phineas said.

"Nice to meet you," Ian said, waving from his seat at his desk. He was tall and thin, sandy-haired with blue eyes hiding behind thick glasses. "So this is why Phineas hasn't been around for dinner all week."

"Yeah, we've been meeting up over in Boston," Phineas said.

"We've got some lost time to make up for," Isabella said, looking up at her boyfriend and squeezing his hand. They'd just gotten back together after two years apart when Isabella had moved to Albuquerque; Phineas's acceptance to MIT had helped Isabella decide to go to Boston College so they could be together again.

A voice came from the bathroom door. "This must be the Isabella we've been hearing so much about," a short, swarthy dark-haired man said, extending a hand. She shook; he had a solid grip in his stubby fingers.

"It is," Phineas said. "Isabella, this is Ron, one of my suite-mates. He shares the room on the other side of the bathroom with Don."

"Who's never here, pretty much, since his new girlfriend has a room to herself," Ron added.

"Lucky you," Isabella said.

Ron shrugged. "If I had some interesting guy to share it with, maybe. But, no such luck yet."

Isabella raised an eyebrow. "Guy?"

"Oh, sorry, he didn't say? Girls aren't my thing. Don't worry, I don't go for straight guys. Even if they're cute." Ron batted his eyes at Ian, who shook his head and chuckled.

"Jen would kill me even if I were interested, Ron," Ian said.

Ron sighed dramatically. "See, I'm stuck here with two guys who are both madly in love with their girlfriends. And I'm the one with the room to myself. How about you, Isabella? Coping with your roommate over at BC?"

"Pretty much. Aarati's okay. She's pretty quiet, when she's there. I'm on a women-only floor, though, with a floor bath. That's really nice that you've got a bathroom for just the four of you. Three of you, I suppose. The line for showers on my floor gets pretty bad some mornings."

"I can only imagine."

"We were going to go grab some dinner at the Student Center. Interested?" Phineas asked.

"Sure," Ron said.

"Nah, it's okay. I need to call Jen," Ian replied.

"Okay. Tell her I said hi," Phineas said, and he led Isabella and Ron back out the door.

"Where's Jen going to school?" Isabella asked as they walked out of the dorm.

"Somewhere in Maine?" Ron said.

"University of Southern Maine. She's in the nursing program there. He misses her an awful lot - with Don off with Marissa all the time, and me with you...it's kind of rubbing it in that his girlfriend is two hours away, up in Lewiston," Phineas said.

She took Phineas's hand as they walked along through the early-September evening. "I think I can see that. I spent entirely too much time without you."

Ron made a gagging sound, and Phineas and Isabella laughed.

* * *

Ian had just been heading out as they got back to the room, so Phineas and Isabella had taken advantage of the privacy to spend some quality time together. Sitting next to each other on the bed had turned into kissing, which had led to lying down next to each other, which had led to her pushing him on his back and straddling him. His hands were roaming her back, and he was kissing her but trying to pick up on her cues. He knew she was likely to be cautious here, after Tim, her boyfriend in Albuquerque, had tried to push her farther than she'd wanted to go. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

He decided to see if he could go as far as they'd gone when they'd been dating before she moved, and slid his hand forward, along her side, toward her breast. "May I?" he asked.

She pulled up and looked at him, shaking her head. "Not yet," she whispered.

"Sorry," he said, returning his hand to her back.

She nestled into his shoulder. "It's okay," she whispered. "I'm just..."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too. I love you," she breathed into his neck.

"Love you too. Always."

* * *

Phineas looked at his pile of work for the next day, and the clock. _Maybe if I hurry over, I can spend fifteen minutes having dinner with her, and then hurry back...ugh._ Only the second week of classes, and he was already looking at enough work that he didn't have enough time to see Isabella. _Maybe if I try to get a bit ahead tonight, so I'll have more time tomorrow? Worth a shot, I guess._

_It's sad that it takes almost an hour for me to get over to see Isabella, five miles away, when it takes Ian just a bit over two hours to go see Jen two states away._

He sent Isabella a text. **I'm slammed with work tonight. I'm very sorry. I'll make it up to you, but I can't come visit tonight.**

A quick reply came up. **Okay, if that's what needs to happen. I'll see you tomorrow?**

**Absolutely. That's a promise. Love you always.**

**Deal. I'll hold you to that. Love you too.**

Phineas sighed as he put his phone away, and Ian made an inquiring grunt from across the room.

"Sorry. Just had to tell Isabella we can't get together tonight. She took it well, I think. Still, I feel bad about it."

"My sympathies," Ian said in a voice dripping with sarcasm.

Phineas laughed. "True enough. Thanks for the perspective. Any idea when you get to see Jen again?"

"I was hoping to go up occasionally over the weekend, but my work-study job got scheduled on Saturday nights. Unless I can find someone to swap shifts with, my weekends are hosed."

"Can she come down here?"

"She doesn't trust her car to get this far, and her parents don't want to let her take their cars down into the city."

"Ugh. That sucks."

"Ayuh."

* * *

Isabella cursed under her breath as she saw the list of recommended problem sets. That was going to take at least an hour, and she was having enough trouble keeping up with this class as it was. If she didn't do them, she knew she'd be lost in tomorrow's lecture, and would need even more time to catch up.

Phineas had promised to come visit tonight, but working out her schedule, she knew she didn't have the time unless she wanted to skip practice with her volleyball team. She'd tried out for the BC team as a walk-on, but hadn't gotten on, so she'd formed an intramural team. Now, looking at her schedule, she was glad she hadn't made the team after all - she'd never have time for it.

She decided to call Phineas to talk to him about it. He answered after one ring, "Hey, I was just getting ready to head over to visit."

"Yeah, about that..." she said.

"What's up?"

"I'm just trying to decide. I'm supposed to get together with my volleyball team tonight, but I'd really like to see you."

"It's okay. You should totally get together with your team."

"It's not a real practice, though, we're just going to hit the ball around a bit on the lawn and get to know each other better."

"No, it's okay, you should totally have a practice."

"Phineas, are you trying to make my decisions for me again?"

There was a long pause, and then Phineas said, "I am, aren't I? I'm sorry. I said I wouldn't do that. What would make you happy?"

"I'd like to see you, but I need to get to know my team if we're going to have any chance in a game."

"Whichever way you'd like to go. Really."

She took a deep breath. "I think I need to go to practice tonight. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow. Love you, Phineas."

"Love you always, Isabella."

* * *

Phineas hung up the phone and lay back on his bed. He loved Isabella completely, but she was confusing sometimes. He needed advice from someone with more of a clue.

He sent a quick text to Ferb. **What does it mean when your girlfriend gets upset at you for suggesting she do something, and then goes and does it anyway?**

The reply came back quickly: **It means you're going out with Isabella.**

Phineas sighed. **You're not helping. Is she unsure of our relationship? Am I doing it wrong?**

**Given that it's Isabella, I don't think it's possible for you to do it wrong.**

**She's not the same as she was last time you saw her. She's seen other guys. She may decide that I'm not worth the hassle after all. There's more fish out there in the sea.**

**And yet she still took you back. Be yourself. Talk to her about these things.**

Phineas laughed. **Make up your mind. Do I be myself, or do I talk to her?**

**If you have to choose, choose to talk to her.**

_Easy for you to say_, Phineas thought._ You've got a girlfriend who practically reads your mind._

* * *

Phineas sat in his room, waiting for the rest of his group to show up. In just the third week of the semester, they'd been assigned a group project, and he'd be working with Ian and one of the women in the room across the hall, Elyse. He took the opportunity to send Isabella a quick message.

**Hey, busy again, can't meet up, group project stuff. I'm really sorry. Hopefully things calm down soon. Love you.**

A minute later, as Elyse and Ian joined him, his phone buzzed.

**Tomorrow? Love you too.**

**Tomorrow. Friday, not much going on this weekend. Love you always.**

He sighed. He wasn't even sure why she put up with him at this point. He'd broken up with her once. Why should she trust him again?

* * *

Isabella sighed as she put her phone away. Much as she hated to admit it, she was relieved that he'd called off getting together tonight. She was staring at a stack of assignments that she had to deal with as well, and trying to figure out how she'd have time for them all even without taking time off to go see Phineas.

On the other hand, it was now Thursday. They hadn't been able to see each other since the previous weekend, and even then, not very much. _It's almost like we're not dating at this rate._

On the plus side, tomorrow was Friday, and there wasn't much she needed to do this weekend, so they could at least spend some time together.

* * *

Phineas arrived at Isabella's dorm on Friday night. A pizza delivery as he arrived got him into the building, so he knocked on her door. Aarati opened it, and he smiled at her; the busty young dark-skinned Indian woman seemed nice enough. "She's in the bathroom," Aarati said. "She'll be right back. Why don't you come on in and wait?"

"So how's college life treating you?" Phineas asked as he stepped into the small dorm room. Two beds, two desks, and a small refrigerator in the corner were the only furniture, besides some drawers and closets built into the walls. He'd been here a few times, walking Isabella back at night, but hadn't had much chance to talk to Aarati.

She shrugged as she sat at her desk. "Busy. Hadn't realized how much I'd have to deal with here. How about you?"

He sighed. "I guess I thought we'd be able to spend a lot more time together. We haven't seen each other much in two weeks now."

"Yeah, Isabella's been complaining about that too."

"What have I been complaining about?" Isabella said as she came through the door, then she squealed and launched herself into his arms.

"Oof," Phineas exhaled, as Isabella wrapped her arms around him and squeezed.

"Missed you," she whispered as Aarati laughed.

"Missed you too," he said softly.

"So what was I complaining about?" Isabella asked into his chest.

"Not getting to see each other," Phineas said, and Isabella nodded emphatically.

"It's been a long couple weeks. We got a few hours last Saturday, but that was it," she said.

"Well, we've got all day tomorrow, but right now, I'm starving," he said.

"Let's figure out dinner, then," she said, reluctantly letting go of him. "You interested, Aarati?"

Aarati shook her head. "No, another date tonight. Arnaud, from my psychology class."

"Good luck, then," Isabella said, then looked at Phineas. "Pizza, and hang out here?"

Phineas pondered for a second, realizing that when Aarati left they'd have the room to themselves. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

Isabella lay curled up next to Phineas, her leg hooked around his, his arm around her shoulders as hers lay across his chest. They'd had a rather passionate make-out session after Aarati had left, interrupted when the pizza had arrived, and then gone back to kissing for a while. Now they were just lying together, enjoying being in contact. Phineas hadn't attempted to push on her boundaries at all, which was relieving. She'd spent fifteen months fending off Tim, and she knew that Phineas wouldn't push at all until she told him it was okay.

"I didn't realize this would be so hard," he said after a long companionable silence.

She mumbled agreement. "I guess I thought it'd be like summer, when we got to spend all day together. I didn't realize how much time gets eaten going back and forth when we don't live across the street from each other."

"I need to ask you this," he said hesitantly, and she could hear the concern in his voice. "Is it still worth it to you?"

She squeezed him tightly. "Yes. Don't you dare think it isn't."

"You're sure? It's just hard to make the time work. If you want to, I do too, but..."

"I want to, Phineas. It's worth it. _You're_ worth it."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. I...I _need_ you, Isabella. I didn't even realize how much until you were gone. And then we were together again, and then...I keep wondering why you put up with me."

She leaned up on her elbow, looking down at him softly. "I need you too, Phineas. I think we need a better solution than what we had this past couple weeks."

He nodded, meeting her eyes. "We do. But we've got so little time. What do you want to do?"

She lay back down, resting her head on his shoulder again. "Maybe...we try to get together once during the week? And try to get a video chat going the other nights? Even if I can just see you, I think it'll help."

"That sounds good. Why don't we try for Wednesdays? It's halfway through the week, and if I get ahead on the nights before that, I think I can keep it open."

Isabella lifted her head, leaned over, and kissed him. "I like it. We get together on Wednesdays, whatever's going on."

"Deal."

"Except I think I have a game this Wednesday."

"Mind if I come watch?"

"I'd love it."

* * *

Phineas watched Isabella dive for the ball, narrowly missing it. He could see her cursing under her breath as she stood up, and he laughed to himself. She loved the game, even though her team was losing. He enjoyed watching it as well - even though her team didn't have uniforms, the tight shorts looked very nice on her. More importantly, she could enjoy the physicality of the game without holding anything back, instead of feeling the need to guard herself from anyone.

Later, they'd go get some dinner and have a chance to talk. But right at that moment, he enjoyed watching Isabella lose herself in the game.

* * *

Isabella lay next to Phineas on his bed the following Saturday evening. Her hands roamed his bare chest in between desperate kisses, while his hand stroked from her hip down the leg that was hooked around his thigh.

"Love you," he murmured into her mouth.

"Love you so much," she replied, her hand running through his sparse red-orange chest hair. She reached down and took his hand from her hip, guiding it up to her breast as she looked into his widening eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked, and she nodded. He stroked her breast, and she sighed in pleasure. It felt so nice to have his hands on her, to be so close to him, and it felt like she was reclaiming herself after shutting herself off because of Tim.

_Maybe we can go farther than we did at sixteen, even._ She guided his hand over to the buttons on her blouse. He looked at her for confirmation, and she nodded. He started working on the buttons, sliding his hand in through the opening and across her bare skin. He palmed her breast through her bra, his thumb instinctively finding the nipple and brushing across it. She closed her eyes and whispered, "Oh," feeling a warmth spreading from his hand all through her, a jolt directly from her nipple right into her center.

They were alerted by the sound of a key in the lock, and barely had time to separate before Ian opened the door.

"Sorry, they sent me home early from work-study," Ian said, seeing them on the bed. "Let me grab my books and I'll go hang out with Ron."

"It's okay," Phineas said. "It's your room too. I didn't think to put something on the doorknob."

Isabella buttoned her blouse and gave Ian an embarrassed smile as Phineas grabbed his shirt.

Ian shook his head as he headed through the bathroom to Ron's room. "I _really_ need to get back up to see Jen."

* * *

Phineas walked along at the Prudential Center, holding Isabella's hand on Sunday night. They'd had a nice dinner at Legal Sea Foods, and were enjoying a last few minutes together before she needed to head home for the night.

"It's going to be a long week until Wednesday," he said. "I miss you already."

She turned to him and put her arms around his neck, pulling him down into a kiss. "Miss you too. But we get to see each other on screen at least."

He pulled her in tightly, enjoying her body pressing up against his. He'd been thinking of that feeling of closeness with her, and how much it meant to him. She'd initially been more reluctant to let him go as far as before they'd broken up - an artifact of her time with Tim, when she'd had to be more careful so as to not encourage him too much. But even in the limited time they'd had together, she'd calmed down and they'd gotten even closer.

He could feel himself stirring down below, and tried to suppress it. The last thing he needed was to let her know how much he wanted to go further with her. She'd had enough pushing in that direction to last a lifetime. When she was ready, she'd let him know, but he wasn't about to push. He needed to make sure she realized that he wasn't like Tim if he wanted to keep her.

He buried his nose in her hair, kissing the top of her head, and said, "We should get you back to your room."

* * *

Isabella gave Phineas a quick kiss as she headed into her dorm, then watched as he walked back toward the Boston College T stop. She hugged her arms around herself as she entered her room, thinking of how it had felt to have Phineas's arms around her.

"Missing him already?" Aarati asked.

Isabella laughed. "A bit. How about you? How'd your date with...what's his name, Trevor? How'd that go?"

Aarati shrugged. "Meh. Not what I'm looking for."

"Oh well. Next one, maybe."

"Hope so."

Isabella lay down on her bed, and thought about Phineas's hands on her. She'd been reluctant to go too far with him, but the more time they spent together, and the further she let him go, the more her interest in getting his hands _all_ over her went up.

She thought back to the break-up with Tim. He'd accused her of such awful things - being a frigid bitch, and then of cheating on him with the basketball team. That had been based on an incident where her volleyball team had had a game at the same school as the boys' basketball team, so they'd shared a bus. On the ride home, Rachel had given her boyfriend, one of the basketball players, a blowjob in the back seat. Isabella hadn't even known about it until the next day, since she'd been sitting in the front of the bus talking to the coaches. The school rumor mill had turned it into a wild orgy between both teams, but she'd convinced Tim that it had all been blown out of proportion - or so she'd thought.

But the one that had hurt the most, and she'd denied the loudest, she'd later realized was entirely accurate. He'd said that if _Phineas_ - and she could hear the sneer in Tim's voice as he said the name - had taken her to the prom, she'd have rolled right on her back and spread her legs. And...she probably would have. If she'd stayed in Danville, they'd have probably been lovers long before prom night.

The idea of making that happen - of finding a time and a place to make love to Phineas - tickled at the back of her head, tempting her. But she found herself wondering if it was just trying to get back at Tim, or possibly trying to make sure Phineas wouldn't leave her. She really didn't need revenge, and she had no doubt that Phineas wasn't going anywhere. If she did find time with Phineas, she wanted it to be because it was the right thing for their relationship. She thought, maybe, it might be, but she just wasn't sure.

* * *

"It's only Tuesday, but I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. I miss you already," Isabella said over the video chat. Phineas brushed his hand across her image on the screen, wishing he could really touch her.

"I'm looking forward to it too. I need you."

She smiled. "Need you too."

Across the room, Ian suddenly shouted, "Yes!"

Phineas looked up. "What's up?"

"Got my work-study shift this weekend traded away. I'm going to be able to head up to Maine to see Jen for her birthday." Ian sat back in his chair, hands triumphantly behind his head.

"Oh, cool!" Phineas said.

On the screen, Isabella said, "Congratulations, Ian! Give her a hug from me."

"I'm going to give her a lot more than a hug," Ian said with a big grin.

* * *

Isabella closed the video chat window, then touched the screen where Phineas's face had been. It was still a lonely week, but she knew she'd be able to see him tomorrow, and then spend the weekend days with him. And with Ian going up to Maine, they wouldn't even have to worry about interruptions.

She sat back in her chair as the realization hit her. They wouldn't have to worry about interruptions at all. All weekend. She could spend the whole weekend there if she wanted.

Quickly, she pulled up her calendar. She had a project due next Monday that she'd planned to work on over the weekend. She could get it finished by Friday if she pushed it. There was nothing else scheduled for Saturday or Sunday so far.

She could spend the whole weekend with Phineas. She could spend the night.

All the thoughts she'd had about things she'd like to do with Phineas came rushing back, images of his hands and lips on her bare skin. Warmth covered her cheeks as she realized all those things might now be in reach.

Her thoughts were broken as Aarati came in the room and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Looks like I missed an interesting conversation, from the look on your face," Aarati said.

Isabella laughed. "Just pondering...possibilities."

* * *

Phineas came over to visit her on the BC campus for dinner the next night. Aarati waved at him as they went off to get dinner.

"You seem nervous," he said as they walked along. "Is something up?"

"I was just thinking. Ian's gone this weekend, right?"

He nodded, puzzled.

She took a deep breath and said, "Would it be okay if I spent the night?"

He stopped walking, looking at her with his eyes wide. "As in, sleep? Or..." he trailed off.

"Whichever you'd like," she said nervously, barely able to look at him.

A smile spread across his face, and he whispered, "I would love to spend the night with you, Isabella. Whether we just sleep or not."

He took her in his arms and gave her a gentle kiss, which was interrupted by a passerby muttering, "Get a room."

* * *

Phineas got off the Green Line train at Hynes Convention Center and started walking along Massachusetts Avenue toward Cambridge. He was glad for the walk, as he needed the time to call Ferb after Isabella's bombshell offer on the way to dinner. He figured it would be okay; Ferb and Gretchen were on the west coast, so it should be early evening for them. The Brit answered, and Phineas asked, "Hey, got a minute so we can talk?"

Hearing an affirmative silence, Phineas continued. "So, my roommate's going home for the weekend. Aaaaaaand...Isabella asked to spend the night Friday night."

Testily, Ferb said, "And you felt the need to call and brag?"

"No, that's not..."

"Do you have _any_ idea how bloody lucky you are, Phineas?" Ferb exploded. "Do you know what I'd give for my roommate to just leave the room for an _hour_ consistently?"

"Your roommate never leaves?"

"Except when he's at class, he basically spends all his time playing computer games. Meanwhile, Gretchen's in a triple, so getting both of her roommates out of the room at the same time is difficult. We've only had two chances to be alone together since we got here, and one of them we couldn't do much due to...well, reasons."

"I'm sorry, Ferb. But, no, I'm not calling to brag. Ferb...what do I _do_?"

There was a brief, incredulous silence on the other end of the line, and then Ferb spoke up. "I assume Dad gave you the same talks he gave me. Probably at least twice."

"Three times. I got a refresher when I started dating Alyssa after Isabella moved away. But that's not what I mean. What if I go too far for her? What if I do it wrong and chase her away?"

"Phineas, she took you back after two years apart. For whatever reason, she seems to truly love you."

"She broke up with the last boy to try pushing her limits too much."

"I thought you said he broke up with her. Were you planning to do that?"

"No, of course not."

"Then it's not a problem. _Listen_ to her. _Pay attention_ to her. Let her figure out what's going on in that head of hers."

Phineas paused, halfway across the Harvard Bridge, and leaned on the railing, looking out over the Charles River. "Okay. I'm just...look, Dad covered all the 'why' and 'who' and 'when' for this, but I need the 'how'. If she decides we're doing more than just sleeping...I need to make this really good for her. It's _important_."

"Keep that in mind, then. Watch her cues for what feels good to her. Talk to her - before, during, and after. Prepare - bring condoms even if she's taking care of birth control. I'd suggest a little lubricant as well. I prefer the liquids over the gels, but you may wish to experiment."

"Thanks. I'll look into that. Is it likely to hurt?"

"It didn't for Gretchen, and Isabella's had an even more active life, so...it might not. Just take it slow, and wait until she's really ready. Lubricant will help there. You'll be fine."

"Thanks, Ferb. This really means a lot to me. Can I make a suggestion?"

Phineas could almost hear Ferb raising an eyebrow in inquiry.

"Talk to Gretchen's roommates. Bribe them if you need to. Are there movies on campus? Pay for their tickets, and that gives you about two hours alone."

"I didn't want them to know..."

"Ferb, they know. Get them on your side. Do they have boyfriends?"

"One of them does, but he's going to school over at USC."

"Offer to get Gretchen out of the way when he comes to visit in exchange. Or...Gretchen always loved the beach. Go find some hotel out on the coast and bring her there for a weekend, or even just a Friday night."

The silence on the other end of the line sounded thoughtful. After a moment, Ferb said, "Thank you. I think that might work."

* * *

Isabella sat back as she waited for the video chat to connect. Fortunately, Aarati was off at her work-study job, so Isabella had the room to herself for a couple hours. The screen of her laptop turned into a blur of compression artifacts, and then resolved to show her cousin, Anna.

"Isa! How's my favorite cousin doing? How's Boston?" A salacious grin spread over Anna's face. "How's _Phineas_?"

Isabella gave a guilty smile. "Really well. Really nice. And..._really_ good. That's what I needed to talk to you about?"

"Oh?"

"His roommate is going away for the weekend."

"Oh ho! Nicely done! So, you want me to go rub it in to Tim's face?"

"No, that's not it. Please don't tell anyone."

"Well, that's no fun. So what's up, then?"

"Anna...your first time with Tony..." Isabella tried to figure out how to ask this. "What was it like?"

Anna laughed. "Probably a lot less comfortable than yours will be. All night together in an actual bed, instead of a rushed half-hour on a blanket out in the boonies...I'm jealous. Are you really worried?"

"I don't know. Am I doing the right thing? I'm not sure we're really ready."

Anna shrugged. "If you want him, and he wants you, I think so. Was this your idea, or his?"

"Mine. But he agreed as soon as I offered."

"Sounds like you're both on the same page. Just make sure you're protected, okay? We don't want you ending up like Rachel."

"Huh? What happened to Rachel?"

"Oh, must have been just after you left. She got knocked up by that basketball player she was dating. Her papa got out the shotgun and they're getting married next month."

Isabella winced. "Yeah, working on that. I was going to pick up some condoms tomorrow."

Anna laughed. "Good for you. Enjoy it. You sure you don't want me to go tell Tim all about this?"

"Please don't. He'd probably ask what took me so long."

"Well, what did take you so long?"

"Finding an opportunity. And making sure I wasn't doing it just to spite Tim."

* * *

Phineas sat at his desk after seeing Ian off on his trip back to Maine. Ian had said he'd be back Sunday afternoon, and not to do anything he wouldn't do...which wasn't much. Now Phineas stared unseeing at his computer, unable to think about anything but Isabella's imminent arrival. _She's coming over. To spend the night. With me. And...maybe not just to sleep._

Finally, his train of thought was broken by a knock at the door. Quickly opening it, he found Isabella, looking nervous, wearing a backpack.

"Hi," he said, kissing her as he let her in. She set the backpack down at the foot of the bed and then looked at him with a shy smile. He took her hands, just holding them as he looked at her. "I love you."

She stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his chest as his encircled her shoulders. "I love you too."

"We should get some dinner," he said into her hair.

She nodded. "Student Center again?"

"Probably wise. If we ordered pizza, who knows what they'd interrupt."

Isabella laughed, stepping away to take his hand. "Let's go."

* * *

Isabella sat next to Phineas in the booth at the Student Center, pressed up against his side. She reached over and stole an onion ring off his tray, and he said, "Hey!" She grinned up at him, and his look of annoyance quickly faded as he laughed.

She felt so close to him right now, knowing what she'd planned. It felt obvious, too, like she had a big sign flashing over her head, stating to all onlookers that she was going to sleep with him tonight. _So be it,_ she thought, and kicked off one shoe under the table to run her bare foot up his leg, watching his reaction.

"Be nice, dear," he whispered. "I need to be able to walk back to the room."

* * *

Phineas closed the door to his room behind them, then took off his shoes. Isabella was sitting on the bed, her eyes wide. He knew her well enough to read the nervousness she was trying to hide, so he sat next to her and took her hand. "We can just sleep. That'd be fine," he said. "Or..."

"I...don't know," she admitted. "I had been all set to go, and then we got back here, and..."

He nodded. "It's a bit overwhelming. I love you so much, I want it all to be perfect, but..."

"Let's try just sleep for tonight, and we can try for more tomorrow?" she suggested.

"That's fine with me. Whenever you're ready. Why don't we get ready for bed, then?"

She picked up her backpack, opening it and pulling out a toiletry kit. "That works."

They giggled as they brushed their teeth and got ready for bed, waving to Ron as he wandered in to use the toilet in the small room off to the side. After he was done, Isabella used the small room to change into her nightshirt as Phineas put on a pair of sweatpants.

"No pressure," he said. "When we're ready, we go on, but tonight we just sleep?"

Isabella nodded, and climbed into bed. Phineas lay next to her, one arm under the pillow they shared and the other lightly resting on her hip. Isabella shifted forward until she was touching Phineas, and his hand slid around to the small of her back, holding her next to him. Her eyes closed and she got a contented look on her face. "Love you," she whispered.

"Love you too. Doing okay?"

"Mmhmm." Her eyes opened, and she leaned over to kiss him.

The kiss led to an encore, and then even more, and he trailed his kisses across her cheek and down her neck, causing her to hum with pleasure. Her leg wrapped around his, pressing his sweatpants into his leg, and his hand shifted back to her hip before trailing down her bare leg.

He felt her tense, and moved his hand back to her hip. "Sorry," he whispered. _Damn you, Tim. Damn you for making her this scared of being touched._

"Not your fault. It's okay."

"Sure?"

"I'm sure." She paused for a moment, and asked, "You know what happened with Tim. What...how far did you and Alyssa go?"

He reached up and gently stroked her face, brushing her hair back. "About as far as you and I got in high school. No clothes came off or anything like that." He paused, and said, "She offered. I said I wasn't ready."

She smiled at him, and asked, "Why not?"

He looked into her deep blue eyes, and gently kissed her. "I always knew it couldn't last. She'd go off to school, and...if I was going to have a long-distance relationship, I'd rather have one with you. I should have been expecting the breakup more than I was."

Isabella nodded and kissed him back, and he found himself distracted again, his hand drifting back to her hip. She reached down and moved it down to her bare leg, soft and warm underneath his fingers. The kisses got more and more passionate, and without him realizing it, his hand slid underneath her nightshirt, stroking her firm ass through the soft fabric of her panties. She gasped and pulled him tighter, and he noticed where his hand was. He quickly slid it back down onto her leg.

"It's okay, Phineas," she whispered. "If you go further than I want, I'll let you know. I know you'll stop if I tell you to. But right now, that feels _really_ good."

He returned his hand to her ass, gently stroking and kneading. Her hand slid up and down his bare back, sending shivers up his spine. She rolled him over onto his back, leaning over him as she kissed his lips, his face, his neck, his chest. His hand had moved up as she shifted, and now rested on her bare back, pushing her nightshirt up above her waist.

She swung her leg over him, straddling him, and he realized that he'd gotten hard in the excitement. From the way she settled onto him, she must have known as well. Her eyes got wide as his hands came down and rested on her hips. She rocked her pelvis a bit, pressing against him. His hips thrust forward a bit automatically, and she chuckled. "I guess you like that," she said.

He nodded, wordlessly, and then he could hardly blink as she reached down and pulled her nightshirt off. He'd never seen her topless before, and she was even more beautiful than he'd thought. Her breasts weren't overly large, but fit her perfectly, and were topped with small chocolate-brown nipples. She tossed the nightshirt aside onto the floor, then took his hands and placed them on her chest.

He stroked her breasts, tweaking the nipples with his fingers, as she pressed her hips into his erection. "Isabella...I..." he gasped as she gently rocked on top of him. Her breath was coming faster as their bodies moved together, and he was concentrating as much on controlling himself as making her feel good. He could feel himself getting closer, and then she leaned forward, shifting her weight and sending him toppling over the edge. His world blacked out as he arched his back, spewing into his boxer shorts as his hands dropped to her waist.

His eyes opened slowly, and he saw Isabella looking down at him with an amused smile on his face. "Oh, no, I'm sorry," he said. "I..."

She slid off of him, leaning down to kiss him. "It's okay. You got a bit more worked up than I realized."

He nodded as he sat up. "I need to go wash up," he said. "I'll be right back." He grabbed a clean pair of boxers out of his drawer as he headed into the bathroom.

* * *

Isabella pulled the covers up to her chin as she lay in Phineas's bed. _Well, that wasn't what I was expecting to have happen tonight._

_Still, watching him come apart like that...I love making him feel that good._

She pressed her thighs together. Phineas wasn't the only one who'd gotten excited by what they'd been doing. She found herself wondering if Phineas would be willing to help her get off as well.

_Of course he would. He'd be thrilled to. What do we do, though?_

_What do I want him to do? How far am I willing to go?_

In the back of her brain, her worries and fears about going too far were still there, but they were being overridden by how aroused she was feeling. _I want all of him._

Phineas came out of the bedroom wearing his boxers and tossed his dirty clothes into his laundry basket. "Sorry, forgot to grab a clean pair of sweatpants," he said.

"That's okay," Isabella said. "Why don't you come join me like that?"

"I...sure," he said, climbing into bed next to her. He seemed a little surprised she hadn't put her shirt back on, but they were soon wrapping around each other. His hand roamed from her bare leg, across her panty-covered ass, and then over her bare back, before returning down her side to her leg. He'd never touched some of those areas, and the trace of his hand was spreading fire all through her. She wanted all the barriers between them gone, everything holding her back to just let go. Tim was gone, Phineas was here, and right now, she wanted Phineas.

"Phineas," Isabella murmured, "I think I've changed my mind."

He leaned back and looked at her, confused and a bit concerned.

"I don't want to wait until tomorrow night," she said.

He looked puzzled, and then his eyes suddenly widened in surprise. "You...don't?"

"No," she said in a throaty voice. "I need you, Phineas. All of you."

"...all?"

"All of you. Make love to me, Phineas."

"You're sure?"

"Very." She ran her fingers across his chest.

His hand stroked her side, brushing forward across her breast, then slid across her stomach. She found herself holding her breath as it came to rest on her panties, gently caressing her mound through the soft fabric. "Yes..." she hissed.

He looked at her again, his expression asking her to confirm that he could go further. She nodded, and his hand started stroking her inner thigh. Her legs fell apart, allowing him access, as she felt herself starting to rock her hips ever so slightly.

He moved his hand back to her hip, and his thumb hooked the waistband of her panties. "May I?" he asked.

With a smile, she lifted her hips off the bed and helped him slip her last remaining piece of clothing off of her; his boxers followed, and she saw him naked for the first time. He wasn't fully erect, but was clearly getting there again. "There's condoms in my bag," she whispered, not trusting her voice.

"I've got some in my desk here," he answered, pulling open the drawer next to the bed. He removed a string of foil packets and a small bottle of lubricant, setting them in easy reach.

Isabella's hand slid across his back. "I love a man who comes prepared. As long as it's you."

* * *

They lay entangled under the covers in the dark room, skin resting against skin. Phineas ran his hand down her bare back, down to her panties and back. He'd put his boxers back on to prevent himself from dribbling all over her, and she'd put her panties back on at the same time.

He squeezed her shoulder, burying his nose in her hair. She smelled of strawberries and sweat, an intoxicating combination. "Love you," he whispered.

She chuckled, nestling into his side, warm and soft and curved just right to fit up against him, and said, "Love you too."

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Just thinking of a long time ago."

"Oh?"

"Way back when, just before I moved, I thought about...offering to do this with you, to convince you not to break up with me."

"I...don't know how I would have reacted to that."

"Me either, which was part of why I didn't. If you'd turned me down, or - even worse - accepted and then broken up with me anyways, I'd have been devastated. Even more than I was."

"Sorry."

She kissed his neck, and his breath caught. "It worked out. Anyway, I just realized another problem with the idea. Even if it had worked, and we'd had a night like tonight together...then we'd have had months apart before we could have even touched each other again. It would have been agonizing."

He brushed the hair back from her face, gently kissing her. "I don't know that I want to wait months for another weekend like this, that's for sure. Maybe we can convince Ian to go up to Maine more often. Or maybe I can convince him to steal Don's bed for the night."

She smiled at him dreamily. "Have I mentioned recently how much I love you?"

"I might have gotten that impression," he said.

* * *

Isabella woke, covered in sweat. She was roasting, and it took her a moment to figure out why. She was sharing Phineas's small twin bed, and Phineas was draped across her like an extra blanket, sound asleep.

The clock on his desk read 3:14am. She pushed him up enough that she could slide out from underneath him, shivering a bit from the cool air hitting her damp skin. The dim light from the various LEDs on the electronics in the room let her see enough to navigate; she saw her nightshirt on the floor, and picked it up to cover herself as she went into the bathroom, just in case Ron came in.

She took care of her business, then came out of the small toilet room and looked at herself in the mirror. In the chilly middle of the night, it hit her what they'd just done, and she shivered again. _I don't believe we just did that. I just did that. I spent months fighting off Tim, and...jumped Phineas first chance I got. Were we really ready for that? We've only been dating for a month and a half this time, and it doesn't even feel like all of that, since we can't get together very often during the week._

She sat back on the cold tile floor, wrapping her arms around her legs and taking deep breaths to try to calm down. _It'll be okay. We love each other. It'll be okay. I didn't just screw it all up._ She could tell she wasn't convincing herself.

A knock on the far door interrupted her thinking. Ron's voice came through softly. "You okay in there?"

"Yeah," she said back, unconvincingly.

"Want some company?"

_Ron's safe, right?_ "Sure."

Ron came in, a concerned look on his face, and closed the door behind him. "Seriously, are you okay? If you need to get away from him, I'll help you get somewhere safe."

Isabella laughed and wiped the wetness off her cheeks. "Nothing like that." Seeing the skeptical look on his face, she continued, "Really. I'm just not sure if we did the right thing. But he didn't force anything. Far from it."

"Why aren't you sure? He certainly seems in love with you, and vice versa. He seems like one of the good ones."

"You dated a lot of guys?"

Ron snorted. "No. But as the only 'out' gay in my social group, all the girls cried on my shoulders when something went wrong. If you'd said...well, it wouldn't have been the first time I took someone to the hospital for that. Phineas doesn't seem the type, but neither did...yeah." He shook his head as if casting away bad memories. "So, why aren't you sure?"

"I'm just...how much did he tell you about our breakup? Did he mention Tim to you?"

"He said you moved away and he broke up with you. He didn't mention anything about a Tim."

"Tim was my boyfriend in Albuquerque. I thought I loved him. I guess I did. But he desperately wanted me to have sex with him, and I told him no. He finally broke up with me over it."

"Good choice on your part, then."

She looked up at him, leaning against the bathroom counter. "Huh?"

"Why was it so important to him? Because he wasn't seeing you as a person to love, but something to conquer."

She shook her head. "No, that wasn't it. He did love me back, in his own way. It's just...he had this vision for how his life was going to go. His bucket list for his life. And one of the things on it was getting laid on prom night, ideally with the prom queen."

"Were you the prom queen?"

"No, and he got mad when I said I wasn't going to compete for it. I'd only been at the school for two years then, so I didn't stand a chance against the girls who'd grown up there. Everybody knew Crystal and Ted were going to get it anyway. But if he couldn't bang the prom queen, he could at least bang his girlfriend...and when I said no, it was the first time something on his list had ever been completely denied." She looked up at him with a grin. "He asked me to take him back a week or so later. You would not _believe_ how satisfying it was to tell him just where to put that idea."

"Oh, I bet. You deserve to be more than a checkmark on somebody's bucket list. Phineas isn't like that, though?"

"No. Not at all. This," she nodded her head at Phineas's room, "was my idea. I found out Ian was away for the weekend, and asked to stay the night."

Ron looked at her and nodded. "Do you love him?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Did you two have a good time? It sounded like it from my side of the wall."

Isabella blushed. "Yes. Very much. Once we figured out what we were doing."

"Then I don't see where you did anything wrong. Phineas isn't Tim. You aren't required to sleep with everyone who wants you to. You're not the same person you were when you dated Tim, anyway. You've learned about what you do and don't want."

Isabella took a deep breath. "I have. And I wanted...want...Phineas."

"Good choice. Ian's gone until Sunday. Are you going to stay tomorrow night too? Actually, I think at this point it's tonight, come to think of it."

"I think so. Thanks, Ron. It helped a lot to get that out."

* * *

Phineas woke up alone. It took him a moment to realize that Isabella was missing, and he sat up, startled. _She left?_

A sliver of light shone under the bathroom door, and he could hear soft voices coming from there. He climbed out of bed, grabbing a pair of sweatpants from his drawer and stepping into them. Gently, he knocked on the bathroom door, asking, "Isabella, are you in there?"

"Yes, I'm stealing your girlfriend," Ron said.

Isabella laughed, and said, "Come on in, Phineas."

He slowly opened up the door, peeking through. Isabella was sitting on the floor, wearing her nightshirt, and Ron was leaning against the counter in his robe. "You okay? I woke up and you were gone," he asked Isabella.

"It was just kind of warm in there, so I came in here to cool off," she said.

"And then I came in to make sure everything was okay," Ron added.

Phineas looked up at Ron, startled, then nodded. He remembered Ron talking about some of the things that had happened to female friends of his. "Thanks for looking out for her."

"But now that you two have found each other again, I'm going back to sleep," Ron continued. "Try not to be too loud when you get back into bed." He went back through the door into his room, closing it behind him.

Isabella started to stand up. Phineas gave her a hand up, then pulled her into an embrace. "Love you," she whispered into his shoulder.

"Love you too," he breathed into her ear. Letting go and taking her hand, he led her back into his room. After he closed the door, he asked, "Are you really okay?"

She nodded. "Really. I just flipped out a bit about what we did, but Ron helped me get my head back on straight."

"Okay. We don't have to do it again if..."

She silenced him with a kiss. "I want to. In fact, if you think we can do it quietly enough not to wake anybody up, I think doing it again _right now_ sounds pretty good."


End file.
